Sunday, August 28, 2016

Target Transgender Policy Losing to Boycott

       Target stores, after months of standing solid behind their promotion of transgenders in opposite sex restrooms are not just feeling the pitch, they are sweating out big time stocks and money.  Droppings of sales and stocks have now reached almost 10 percent in the second-quarter earnings. The company stores' shares have fallen each day an average between 4 and 7 percent. Everyday sales have accomplished much less than the stores performed last year. Sales expectancy are down below 0 percent. Target Stores sales are not even expected to perform well during the Christmas season. The store is suffering big time but unless one studies the news or at least watches one or two news related programs per day, he or she would never know.
       The Minneapolis based discounter initially issued the statement it will allow customers and employees to use the restroom or a fitting that "corresponds to their gender identity" (D'Innocenzio, 2016). Franklin Graham then announced a boycott by Christians via the American Family Association against spending any money at Target stores until the company keeps their restrooms gender specific. Target pretty much ignored the boycott stating that they will stand behind transgenders and their rights to use whichever restrooms they believe that they should use. Since making that announcement Target stores has undergone a beating in company sales and profit. Christians as well as many secular people simply don't trust a grown man, who just happens to be wearing a skirt, hanging out in a women's restroom or changing room. After weeks of ignoring the initial drop in sales, and even after spending up to $20 million dollars building non gender specific restrooms in almost all of their stores, Target is still undergoing a sales beat down. Christians are still standing strongly behind their boycott. They are not shopping at this once very popular discount retailer.
       Obviously Target underestimated the power and influence of God in America. The media lied to the store as the Liberal press continues to lie to other United States businesses, government groups, and individuals the theology that whatever sex one chooses to be does not matter, America has your back. Liberal Media continues to bark that the majority of Americans support men pretending to be women dropping in on females' restrooms. It is not quite that simple. Just because Cher or the pretty woman in front of the tv camera cheers for transgenders to entertain themselves at whichever changing room does not mean that Joe Smith or Jennifer Harris living across the street is cheering as well. What is really ludicrous is that Joe Smith and Jennifer Harris has been repeating their dislike for this outright ignorance of personal privacy (North Carolina), but have been blatantly ignored by the media, government officials, and most importantly Target. They continue to shout "transgender rights" while rejecting every individuals' right to dress up and change in the retailer's restroom without having someone  from the opposite sex standing near them. Women have described a very possible experience as creepy, scary. Even for men the thought of an aunt Joy standing by the shower room pretending to be a guy while young boys or even grown men are undressing, does not sound endearing. Most people by now know about the eerie incident that took place in July when a transgender man pretending to be a woman slipped into a Target female's dressing room. "The man Shanna Smith, Sean Patrick Smith, legal name Sean Patrick Smith" (Oraka, 2016), was arrested and placed in jail by the police in the Bonneville County Sheriff's Office. When that incident of voyeurism occurred hardly a peep was heard from such big news reporters like ABC, NBC, or CNN. The were more interested in reporting about gay and transgenders rights. The rights of people who wanted to use the public restroom without being harassed or goggled at meant nothing to these news giants.
       Target tried to express concern for people who have a very good reason to feel threatened by building those single sex stalls. $20 million dollars slid down the drain as Christian people in America still do not trust the system. They still refuse to risk theirs', their spouse's, and especially their little one's lives and innocence exposing themselves and their loved ones' privacy to someone of the opposite sex just to make the transgender person feel good. Cher, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, or even Obama will not sway the minds of millions of parents and concerned adults.They simple don't want a man hanging around in the same restroom as their daughter.
       Target has already lost billions. How much more will they end up losing. This battle looks far from over. The company does not appear to be about to bend. They likely did not believe that they were going to end up suffering so much when they took the AFA challenge head on. They did not understand that with Christians this is not about being a bigot or discrimination. We simply just don't like God's commands to be disrespected. We don't want to be forced to accompany or join along other people's decided path to recklessness and immoral living. Let us watch and see what happens to this once thriving company. There may be a lot of wisdom to be learned from this company's current path, if America decides to learn.

Reference 
 D'Innocenzio, A. (2016, May 3). Target faces backlash on stance on transgender bathrooms. The Big         
        Story. Retrieved from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/83df72a7f5594f28a3948d193cd88b3d/target-faces-backlash-stance-transgender-bathrooms     
Oraka, C. (2016, July 15). Transgender fails Target Stores. Retrieved from